Tried Harder
by sadbird
Summary: Sakura thinks it's her fault that Team Seven is now broken. She wished she tried harder to keep them all together. All she needed to do was say one word, she believed. Team Seven's tragedy.


Good day. This is my first angst story and I hope you enjoy reading it. It wasn't easy to write, I'll tell you that.

Please know that this is Sakura's Point of View and it is a story about Team 7, yet again, and how broken they are. It IS angst.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. The plot, however, is mine.

* * *

Sakura should have never let go of Uchiha Sasuke, not when he was within her grasp.

That is what she truly believed and her heart ached from the fact that she stood her ground and stared at his back when he was just a few heartbeats away.

She could easily say that it was the biggest mistake of her life, letting him go.

_He was so close, and yet she let him go._

If only she was stronger at that time, if only she took her training as a ninja more seriously back then, she believed that Sasuke would still be here today, in Konoha.

_With them._

Now, as Sakura split the ground in two, forcing her teammates, Naruto and Sai (not Sasuke), to jump away before getting crushed; she couldn't help but feel powerless.

_And utterly weak…_

* * *

_Help me_

_..._

_Don't let me go!_

_..._

_Why can't you hear me?_

_..._

_Naruto...Sakura..._

* * *

That night, when Sasuke was wrenched away from her by that bastard, Orochimaru, she should have noticed the silent, desperate messages he was silently sending her.

She should have analyzed his intake of breath when he saw her waiting for him on that road, as if he was hopeful of something…

Should have noticed how he couldn't look at her in the eyes when he side-stepped her and how he slow he was walking away, as if waiting for something from her so he could throw away everything for them.

She should have _known_ that he wanted a reason to stay and that he was looking for one from her.

At that time, when he said her name behind her (that peaceful silence that passed between them), he was waiting for her, giving her a last chance to take him back home.

He was searching for that one word.

_One word._

Deep inside, he was screaming at her, trying to hold on to the last cord before it eventually snapped as well, leaving him with nothing to hold on to anymore. She knew that his heart had stopped beating right before he said his last words to her.

_Thank you_

* * *

_No no no!_

_Don't let me go..._

_Don't let go_

_"Sasuke-kun? Are you okay?"_

_"...Hn"_

_No I'm not_

* * *

"Sakura-chan?" she heard Naruto say beside her. The twenty-year-old woman raised her head to look up at her blonde best friend from where she was sitting. Smiling, she patted the grass beside her, ushering him to sit down.

Giving her his usual grin, that had been gradually dulling day by day; he slumped up gracelessly beside her, forgetting all the rules of how ninjas should be graceful and what not.

They took their time staring out at the horizon, each in their own thoughts, until Naruto broke it.

"You're thinking of him again aren't you?"

"Yes" Sakura answered in a heartbeat, she would never lie to him of all people.

"Do you want to see him?"

…

Sakura tried her best not to cry, and so didn't answer him back, in fear that he would hear her trembling voice. A hand on her shoulder instantly made her feel better and she turned her head towards her best friend, whose eyes currently resembled hers, dull and lifeless.

He had a strong bond with the Uchiha as well. They were like brothers after all.

"Come on Sakura-chan, we haven't seen him in a while, he will be happy to see us…as happy as Sasuke-teme can get" he tried flashing her his brilliant smile, but even she can see that it didn't reach his eyes, it never had after Sasuke left them.

Not trusting her voice yet, she nodded and stood up with his help. Their walk was peaceful and silent again and as they neared their destination, Naruto quickly went to grasp the pink haired woman's hand tightly.

He held her tightly because he was afraid of drowning and not being able to find his way back up if he let go. Sakura knew that because she felt so too.

Holding his hand just as tight, Sakura smiled at Naruto's thankful expression and took a deep breath as they both stared at the person who broke them into pieces and never bothered to fix them up.

They were labeled as his broken possessions.

Though they still loved him nonetheless.

A few more minutes passed and Sakura slowly loosened her hold on Naruto so as he would do so as well. Desperate to break the silence, she flashed their Sasuke a smile.

"Hello Sasuke-kun, it's been a while since we last saw you"

Naruto beside her nodded.

"It's been a month Teme"

"How does it feel to finally be free?" Sakura whispered to the person she had once loved.

_Should have tried harder._

"How's that stick up your ass Teme?"

…

Nothing, no reply. They could not even hear his signature "_hn_" or a snort of amusement.

_Should have_

Sakura kneeled down and picked the weeds that had slowly been growing beside the Uchiha's grave.

"Teme…it's rude to ignore people who bothered to even come visit you"

_Tried…_

Sakura looked up at her friend, who was slowly loosing it and shaking badly, just like he always did when they visited. Uchiha Sasuke was oblivious to everything and remained sleeping forever in his tomb, silent and dead.

"Ne...Teme…Answer us"

Sakura stood up quickly once she heard Naruto's voice constricting and shaking slightly.

_Harder…_

"Naruto…let's go"

Before she could even attempt to push her friend away, she instantly wrapped her arms around his upper waist, lessening his fall.

A soft whimper escaped the blonde's throat as he wrapped his long arms tightly around the only person who stayed in his life, his most precious person now.

Sakura let Naruto bury his face into her chest and she soothed him as best as she could, gently running her hand through his hair and rocking him back and forth.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, on their knees, right beside the grave.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi both gave one another the killing blow, ending both their lives.

It was an instant death for Itachi. However, Sasuke's wounds were killing him ever so slowly and after a few hours of lying down, waiting his death, the members of Team seven arrived to the scene.

"_Teme! Don't you dare die on us!"_

Sakura and Naruto were left alone with Sasuke so as they would have this last moment with their ex-teammate. His wounds were so severe that even Sakura couldn't stitch him back.

"_Sasuke-kun, please don't go!"_

An hour later, death came to the last Uchiha and the two remaining watched him leave them with a soft smile on his face.

"_Oi, Sasuke? Sasuke! Stay with us!"_

"Thank you" were his last words before he shut his eyes to the world, forever.

"_No…"_

* * *

It wasn't until the sun had set that Naruto finally quieted down and Sakura slowly moved to look at his face to notice that he had cried himself to sleep. Sighing from relief, she carefully adjusted his weight so that she was now giving him a piggy back ride.

Using her strength, she stood up from her place and left after sending a look withering look towards Sasuke's grave.

Somewhere out there, he was finally free from all that pain. It's been three years since Sasuke's death and the wounds just wouldn't heal.

"Good night, Sasuke-kun"

Sasuke was the only one able to glue back their hearts the right way; not Sakura's parents, Tsunade, Kakashi, Ino, Shikamaru, Jiraya, or even Iruka.

It was always Sasuke.

* * *

__

_Don't look away_

_Stay with me_

_Don't leave me alone_

_Please_

_Give me a reason to stay_

_"Teme! What's wrong?"_

_Everything is wrong_

_"Nothing Dobe"_

_Help me..._

* * *

Once she reached her own apartment, she carefully placed Naruto on her bed, taking off his shoes and covering him with her sheets.

_I should have…_

She stared at her best friend's broken face and finally, she began to cry softly.

_I should have…_

It was all her fault. She should have watched their backs from the start. She should have protected them with her life. If only she saw Sasuke's signs earlier.

_Tried harder._

She should have known how much he cared about them.

_Should have…_

How much he wanted to stay with them.

_If only I…_

How much he loved them.

_If only…_

"Naruto…"

She slid silently to the ground and cried till she couldn't that night.

_I tried…_

"…I'm so sorry"

_Harder_

Naruto and her are in so much pain and no one can mend them, because they were only a three-man team, not two, nor one. They were three.

_To make him_

Now, they are only two broken souls.

Sasuke was within her grasp and she only had to say one more thing. Just one more thing before he said those two words. One thing and he would have given everything up. His dream, his goal, everything.

_Stay…_

She knew that much…

_

* * *

_

Tell me to stay, tell me to stay

_"Sakura..."_

_Please_

_Just say it again and I will stay_

_I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I lo-_

_"Thank you"_

_Don't let me go..._

* * *

Phew, yeah. I hope you felt it...the angst/tragedy. Sakura was right in her assumption all along :P

Please review and tell me what you think. English isn't my first language, so excuse me for any grammatical mistakes and for the lack of vocabulary.

Sadbird.


End file.
